Massive, Beautiful, and Famous Roman Site

The Trevi Fountain in Rome is well-known in the tourism industry! This Roman treasure draws visitors all day, every day of the year. The Trevi Fountain was built at the intersection of three roads. Trevi Fountain got its name from the intersection of these three streets: “tre vie” Three Streets Fountain.

Trevi is a huge fountain! It is approximately 20 meters wide and 26 meters tall, and it is made of the same Tivoli travertine stone as the Colosseum. This stone was transported 22 miles to be used in the construction of the Trevi Fountain. I’d heard stories about how massive the Trevi Fountain is, but seeing is believing! Standing in front of this massive fountain and listening to the water crash into the fountain’s pool is mesmerizing, as are the sculptures and design. The Trevi Fountain depicts Neptune, God of the Sea, riding a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two horses, each guided by a Triton. Each horse represents a different aspect of the sea, from calm to wild. I couldn’t stop myself from sitting there and taking in the beauty and sound of the crashing water.

The Trevi Fountain is one of Rome’s oldest water sources. Fountains have been around since 19 B.C., when they were used as the terminus of the Aqua Virgo Aqueduct during ancient Roman times. Pope Urban VIII commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to design renovations to the Trevi Fountain in 1629 in order to make it more appealing. Bernini’s project was never completed after Pop Urban VIII died. Pope Clement XII commissioned Nicola Salvi to begin work on the Trevi Fountain in 1732. Nicola Salvi died in 1751, and Giovanni Paolo Panini completed his work on the Trevi Fountain in 1762.

The following is a tradition of throwing three coins over their left shoulder into the fountain:

The first coin ensures a safe return to Rome, the second coin finds love, and the third coin marries the love you found.

Throwing coins in a fountain is a tradition that dates back to ancient Rome, when Romans threw coins into the water as an offering to the gods to favor their journey and return to Rome safely. Every night, the coins thrown into the Trevi Fountain are collected and donated to an Italian charity called Caritas. These funds are used by this organization to assist Rome residents in need of grocery assistance. Every day, approximately 3,000 Euro are removed from the Trevi Fountain!

Normally, the Trevi Fountain is completely surrounded by tourists. We went in the late afternoon and evening, and it took a lot of patience to get close to the fountain both times. I wanted to return to see Trevi Fountain without people in my photograph or obstructing my view. I decided to try again at 5 a.m. in the middle of the week (roughly 2 hours before sunrise). Score! I saw a few people there at the end of their nights before going home to sleep off all the drinks they had consumed during their nightly festivities.

I must admit that I prefer Rome at night. The entire city is illuminated, and the strong contrast between the areas illuminated by lights and the dark shadows makes for fantastic photographs of Roman tourist attractions.

Rome holds a special place in my family’s heart! We had a fantastic time in Rome! If we return, I will undoubtedly visit Trevi Fountain.